good morning. unanswered questions. the affair that led to the resignation of cia director david petraeus. when was it uncovered? why did it take so long to tell the president? and why was this woman the target of harassing e-mails from the general's mistress? blown away. a neighborhood in indianapolis in shambles after a mysterious and deadly explosion. more than 30 homes may have to be demolished. what caused that powerful blast? and the pits, a fight breaks out between crews of two racing teams after nascar superstar jeff gordon intentionally crashed into another driver. he says he has nothing to apologize for today, monday,

november 12th, 2012. "today" with matt lauer and and good morning, welcome to "today" on monday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm savannah guthrie. possible to overstate how shocked those who know david betrars are over the turn of events and fallout from his surprising resignation is reaching beyond washington this morning. >> his admitted affair was first discovered when the fbi discovered threatening e-mails when sent to a woman in florida. she's now identified as a married mother who works as an unpaid social liaison on an air force base. she says she and the general are family friends. more on her straight ahead, and we'll have a live interview with petraeus' former spokesman who

talked with him over the weekend. and then we'll talk with the political fallout of all of this with the former speaker of the house newt gingrich. >> let's get to the news first and nbc's andrea mitchell. she is the one who first broke this story. andrea, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah. law enforcement officials say that it all began with a complaint to the fbi last summer from a family friend of david petraeus as a woman who said she was receiving anonymous computer threat. that launched an investigation that eviolently brought down a storied military career, changed the leadership of the cia and has congress questioning just how the fbi handled this sensitive case. officials said david petraeus was not the target of fbi investigations into e-mails sent to broadwell. they were triggered bay family lend it of the betrays and nothing more, jill kelly, seen we are that the petraeus and their spouses. she complained about harassing

and life-threatening e-mails from someone she didn't know and officials traced the letters to paula broadwell and then officials stumbled on others that indicated a relationship between broadwell and petraeus. key members of congress are asking why the fbi did not number them or the president sooner. >> we received no advance notice. it was like a lightning bolt. i mean, this is something that could have had an effect on national security. i think we should have been told. >> reporter: officials say the president first learned of the investigation involving his cia director thursday. the intelligence chair's, feinstein and house republican mike rogers were not informed until friday, the day the president accepted petraeus' resignation but house majority leader eric cantor had known for more than a leak, tipped over, officials say, by a disgruntled fbi investigator who alerted republican staff members. >> obviously this was a matter involving a potential compromise of security, and the president should have been told about it at the earliest date. >> reporter: law enforcement

officials say the fbi could not inform anyone until they completed their investigation. that didn't happen, they say, until november 2nd. after they had interviewed petraeus and re-interviewed broadwell and concluded no laws had been broken. the woman at the center of it all, paula broadwell, was not shy about her friendship with petraeus. both are avid runners. >> ended up being a test for both of us since we ran pretty quickly but that was the foundation of our relationship, and we -- and when i was in kabul we would do a lot of interviews on runs. >> reporter: some of petraeus' former military aides told "nbc news sunday" they were uncomfortable about broadwell's action. >> it was a little bit strange that he would take someone who has never written a book and allow them such unfettered access and allow them to write what is really the first biography of him. >> reporter: this week house and senate intelligence leaders are going to be raising questions about why the fbi did not notify them sooner. and they are also opening a broader inquiry into the city's

handling of benghazi. petraeus' final overseas trip before he resigned was to libya last week to find out for himself what went wrong. nbc news has tried to reach paula broadwell. she has not been accessible. joe kell and her husband, that family in tampa, issued a statement saying they have been friends with the petraeuses for more than five years and are asking for privacy. savannah? >> colonel boylan was a spokesman for jen petraeus in iraq. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> what was his state of mind when you spoke to him over the weekend, and what did he tell you about all of this? >> he's keenly aware that he has injured his family to a great degree and also based on his poor judgment and a little bit lack of discipline has lost one of the best jobs he ever had. he is devastated, you could say,

and you could also say that it's going to take a long time for the family or sometime for the family to get through this, but they will. >> was he embarrassed? >> yes. i would say he is embarrassed, but he's keenly aware of the hurt and pain he's caused, and he is concerned that people understand that this, one, happened after he had retired from the army. the affair started approximately two months after he was in the cia, and it ended about four months ago. >> at least initially there were some questions about whether he had to resign. did he explain why he felt it was important that he leave his post as director of the cia? >> well, i think you have to know a little bit about david petraeus. this is something that would be near and dear to his heart about his honor, his integrity. he did bring forth the issue that there was an affair. he felt that he could not lead

the organizationhaving had that come out. >> you know general petraeus fairly well. sometimes people have a public reputation and a private reputation that is somewhat different. in this case can you characterize your reaction when you found out that, a, general petraeus was resigning, and, two, it was because of an ext extramarital affair? >> when i first heard about it, a colleague actually brought out it to my attention. i was shocked. i was surprised, a little bit in denial. didn't think it was true or even possible. i thought that perhaps in fact it had been somebody's attempt to bring him down which was happened in the past. >> let's be clear. i mean, you're a supporter of his. is there anything, do you think, knowing him as you do about his circumstances, about the fact that he had recently left the military, that would have made him, who is famously disciplined, somehow susceptible to this kind ofthing? >> that may all play into it.

we won't know probably for some time exactly every circumstance surrounding this, but you have to realize he served in uniform for 37-plus years, plus the time at west point. he left a support system and people that had shared experienced, and in one day he's in uniform and the next day he's the director of cia, moved off of the military base in washington, and now out into the civilian community, so you could expect that that had some play into it. >> do you think there's anything that should have raised red flags about the extraordinary access miss paula broadwell had to general david petraeus while he was still in uniform so that she could write this book? >> well, have you to understand a little bit about him. he is a huge proponent of education. paula broadwell early on was working on her dissertation, and my understanding is she still is. that's how this started was work on a dissertation on leadership

when he was the commander of the 101st airborne division. he went forward with that idea to help her with her dissertation and actually not until they were in afghanistan where she was making several trips over the span of his tour there that he found out that instead of the dissertation that was now a book project. >> bottom line, when you think about the man you know and the man you clearly admire, how do you square that with what you now know to be true about him? >> well, it's still a surprise. i don't think we can discount his 37-plus years of service. i don't think you can discount the time he spent at the cia where he had, even though it was a fairly short time in the span of a directorship, he had significant impact, and i don't think we've heard the last of david petraeus. he's come back from quite a bit of adversity in the past. parachute accident, being shot. the surge in iraq, trying to

turn around afghanistan, so this will just be another significant challenge that he and his family will need time and space to work through. >> retired army colonel steven boylan, thank you for your perspective this morning. thank you. >> thank you. >> now here's matt. >> what's the political fallout from all of this? newt gingrich is a former republican presidential candidate and speaker of the house and also co-author of the new book "victor at yorktown." good to see you. >> good to see you, matt. >> did david petraeus do the right thing by resigning? >> given where he is and where he was he almost had to do it. he did the right thing. that's like david petraeus. i think it's important on veterans day to remember this is somebody who served for 37 years. he and his family have sacrificed their entire adult lifetime for the country. he was the author of the surge which saved the war in iraq. he gave us the best possible chance to win in afghanistan. he's a remarkable human being. a tragic end to what is really a

great career, and i hope he and his family can get this together, and i hope he does have some future in some form of public service. he's very smart. >> another aspect of this. congress is opening testimony on the benghazi attack, an attack that claimed thef four americans. he conducted an libya, went there and knows things. should he testify? >> i can't imagine that petraeus wouldn't want to testify, and i can't imagine that the two house and senate intelligence committees wouldn't insist that he comes in and he will at an appropriate time. >> let's talk about the election that just occurred last week, mr. speaker. a lot of hand-wringing and soul searching it seems in the republican party about the loss of mitt romney. you wrote this. an intellectually honest and courageous republican party has nothing to fear from the current situation. what do you mean by that? >> well, i think we need to stop, take a deep breath and learn. the great thing about elections is they belong to the american people. if you -- and i was wrong last week, as was virtually every

major republican analyst, and so have you to stop and say to yourself, if i was that far off, what do i need to learn to better understand america? >> one of the lessons seems to be that mitt romney lost latino vote, the latino vote, the african-american vote, the woman's vote, and those groups are not going away. they are expanding. why not fear that if the republican party can't get its arms around that going forward? >> maybe it's because of my age. i lived through nixon losing in '60. goldwater being shattered in '64. the republican comeback of '66. nixon winning in '68. i mean, you go back and look at all these things. >> there's an ebb and a flow. >> there's cycles. you know, the president won an extraordinary victory, and the fact is we owe him the respect of trying to understand what they did and how they did it, but if you had said to me three weeks ago mitt romney would get viewer votes than john mccain and looks like it will be 2 million fewer, i would have been dumbfounded. >> real quickly, facing the fiscal cliff in the coming months.

the outcome of this election will affect the debate over that and the resolution of that how? >> well, the president faces the biggest choice since january of 2009. does he sit down in a room and honestly openly negotiate with speaker boehner, mitch mcconnell, or does he come in, give a set of demands and go hold a press conference? they can, i believe, hammer out -- >> same can the said on the other side, by the way. >> but if the president is willing to do it, the republicans have no choice. i mean, you can't turn down a president who just won re-election if he's sincere and willing to negotiate. >> going to take some bold initiatives which is my segue into your book, okay, because you've written this book about george washington and his bold moves to break the stalemate of the revolutionary war. so much has been written about george washington. what do you want readers to take away from this book that's new? >> well, i think particularly this morning is the launch of an american legacy book tour that calista and i are doing because she has two new children's books out for american history.

the first thing is to say to people we have a long history of overcoming adversity. george washington is probably the greatest example of that, and in "victory at yorktown" you see him faced with a strategic crisis, sitting right outside new york city and deciding that he will send half his army down to the south, draw the british into a long campaign, negotiate with the french for help and then take a huge gamble of leaving here. remember, these people are marching and have wagons. no helicopters. >> a different time. >> so he's taking the huge gamble of trying to trap cornwallis at yorktown knowing it could well fall apart and one more defeat could well break the morale of the american people. people underestimate what an extraordinary leader george washington was. >> do you find that bold leadership in washington, you optimistic? >> i'm optimistic we'll muddle through. more like the continental congress than we are like george washington. >> newt gingrich, thanks for your time. 14 minutes after the hour. now to savannah. >> important medical news this

morning. a new study in the journal "pediatrics" found that woman who had the flu while they were pregnant were more likely to have a child later diagnosed with autism. let's turn to dr. nancy snyderman, nbc's chief medical examiner. this study finds a link between flu and autism. >> looked at a couple of things. over 96,000 children in denmark, why is that important? it's a homogenous population, and they keep phenomenal medical records, and they asked women while they were pregnant, little things, colds, mild infections, antibiotic use, other infections. they didn't find a link between any of those things and autism, but women who had influenza, real viral influenza, fever, chills, cough, all those things we talk about with the flu, those women had a two times increased risk of having a child diagnosed with autism before the age of 3. >> so the question is if you're pregnant, can you, should you get a flu shot? >> yes, yes, yes, and i would say it now goes beyond that. if you're a woman of child

bearing age, think you're going to get pregnant, want to get pregnant, could get pregnant, yes, do it, because we know women who are pregnant are more susceptible to the complications of the flu, and now we know there's a really strong link between influenza with a pregnant mom and baby having problems afterwards. all around smart idea to get your flu shot. >> a little bit about antibiotics in the study but inclusive as to whether it caused problems. >> a lot of times a viral influenza cause a secondary bacterial infection. regular antibiotic use is safe. >> thank you, nancy. a deadly explosion came without warning in the middle of the night on saturday completely leveling an indianapolis neighborhood. nbc's ron allen is there with

more. ron, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, natalie. that neighborhood behind me is sealed off now because investigators don't know what caused the explosion. it was an incredible blast heard miles away from here. two people died. 200 people were forced to flee their homes, and now for many there's nothing left. without warning 11:00 p.m. saturday night, an explosion and fire completely engulfed a middle class indianapolis neighborhood. residents desperate to escape said they thought a plane crashed or an earthquake had struck, or a bomb had gone off. >> just one big bang, and then i ran downstairs, and the back -- our back patio door was blown away. it was gone. >> reporter: in the mayhem and confusion, residents tried to rescue trapped neighbors. >> he looked in a couple of houses and saw a girl and she was bloody in her kitchen and crying. he just went in and grabbed her and she kept saying my mom and my sister are in there >> reporter: at what's believed

to be the epicenter of the blast where a home once stood authorities found the bodies of two residents. they are a local schoolteacher, jennifer longworth and her husband dion. investigators say the devastation spread for blocks in every direction with at least five homes destroyed. more than two dozen badly damaged. some even knocked from their foundations and each and every one now being carefully inspected. >> they will work at each one of the houses and just make a new ring and work outwards. >> reporter: be careful to say it's a gas explosion because we don't know that right now. >> reporter: the gas company says it has checked for leaks and hasn't found any and says there were no reports of suspicious odors before the blast. some residents have been allowed to return home with police escorts to retrieve a few items and take a first look, but area is closed off until investigators can determine the cause of the blast and make sure the neighborhood is safe. natalie? >> all right. ron allen in indianapolis, thanks so much, ron. frustrations are brimming over in new york and new jersey

where two weeks after superstorm sandy some 120,000 homes and businesses remain in the dark. this as the american red cross fights back at criticism of its response to the storm saying its work has been, quote, near flawless, but in some hard-hit areas like breezy point, new york, residents say they have seen no sign of the relief organization. in a landmark vote this morning, greek lawmakers have approved the country's 2013 austerity budget. the approval is a major step forward in securing a $40 billion rescue loan to prevent greece from going bankrupt. finance leaders from across the eurozone meet and debate the greek bailout today in brussels. a full-on throwdown at the phoenix international raceway this weekend after nascar stars jeff gordon and clint bowyer got into a scrape-up. gordon slowed down allegedly to wreck bowyer on purpose after a week of on-track dust-ups. the pit crews from both crews

got into a fracas in the pit area. nascar is determining what penalties to inflict on the two. as you heard, matt, savannah and al, jeff gordon saying he's not going to apologize. >> might want to be a little careful when he gets in the car next time. that's not going to end that way. >> like a hockey game broke out. >> i know. mr. roker, what's the weather look like in. >> got a very vigorous cold front making its way across the country. it's going to be bringing not only rain and showers and thunderstorms, but first we want to show you what's going on across the ocean. this is venice, italy, that's right. look at this. a record breakg storm. rain, wind and high tides. the highest in 150 years. this is the sixth highest in 150 years. it's all but shut down that canal city. some folks taking a little bit of a swim. closer to home, a front that's bringing rain but nothing quite like that from the great lakes all the way down to the gulf coast, showers, thunderstorms, anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of rain from montgomery, all the way up to cleveland, and then out in the pacific northwest,

we've got more heavy storms coming in. we're talk about 1 to 4 inches of rain, and in the upper elevations snowfall amounts of up to 12 inches of snow. >> good morning.i temperatures will be way above average on this monday. rain will come in tonight. >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al. thank you. just ahead, the scandal rocking one of the most respected news outlets in the world. two top figures at the bbc stepping down overnight. we're live in london. and the growing number of families here in the u.s. stocking up for a doomsday

scenario. but first this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, remember the video of the dragon baby? watch out. he's live in our studios. >> after your local news. [ male announcer ] we all like things how we like them, even medicare drug plans. that's why walgreens pharmacists will help you find the plan that works for you. and now that we're a preferred pharmacy with four of the top medicare drug plans, you can save even more money on your prescriptions. no arguments here. stop by for your free walgreens medicare review by december 7th right here at the corner of happy and healthy.

by december 7th right here some people put everything intotheir name on the door, and their heart into their community. small business saturday is a day to show our support.

a day to shop at stores owned by our friends and neighbors. and do our part for the businesses that do so much for us. on november 24th, let's get out and shop small. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. plenty of veterans day events in baltimore today. the nation continues to honor its military members. baltimore city will host a parade and ceremony. it ends of the war memorial. anne arundel community college will host a ceremony and symposium. mission barbequed in glen burnie

will be handing out free food to veterans. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> there are closures already in the city. mark don ritchie highway, the ramp is shut down due to an accident east joppa road and oak summit avenue, watch for an accident. closures in effect on charles and 21st. that is due to the water main break repairs. in a live traffic, watch for a backup to ritchie highway -- inner loop traffic, watch for a backup to ritchie highway. in a little further south, you will see more fog as you get closer to padonia. reduced visibility is expected further south. >> there is patchy, thick fog

out there. visibility might be to a quarter mile in some spots. we are watching rain out of the ohio valley. it should state dry during the day today. increasing clouds, a chance for rain early to nine. high temperatures are going to make it into the mid-60's. clearing up in the afternoon, breezy and cool, high temperatures in the upper 30's. temperatures in the upper 30's. so, if the mint makes this hot chocolate cool, does the mint hot chocolate make me cool? not really. mint hot chocolate from dunkin' donuts. grab the cool sensation of mint today. america runs on dunkin'.

prove it. enough is enough. d-con baits are specially formulated to kill in one feeding. guaranteed. d-con. get out. 7:30 now on this monday morning. it's the 12th of november, 2012, and one direction mania has officially hit our plaza. the boy band will be here for a live concert tomorrow, and as you can see their fans are already here. they are already camping out, some since friday morning. >> that's crazy. >> they should just e-mail savannah because she's giving out tickets. >> exactly. >> i have received a few calls, i'll tell you that. this line goes all the way down the block, and they still have 24, 25 hours to go before that show. >> i have to say they are awake

now and when i came in this morning in the dark of night i had to be quiet. people waiting there in sleeping bags. >> problem because a motorcade. speaking of young stars, one coming up, the dragon bay du baby. the video has already 20 million hits on youtube, so how did his dad make this film? we're going to find out when the dad and the son join us live. >> all right. and then can you believe the holiday season is actually already here? thanksgiving is next week. so between all the festivities and the shopping, dr. oz wants you to take a moment and take stock of your family's health. he's got some good ideas and a seasonal check list, too. >> and are you ready for the end of the world? we're going to meet some regular families who are planning on it and stocking up today. why they do it coming up: let's begin this half hour with the scandal that's shaken the bbc. michelle kosinski is in london with more on this. michelle, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. today the bbc is changing its

management structure. two more top bosses have just resigned. the bbc, this bastion of journalistic excellence that's been an example for the rest of the world is going through a really bad time right now. part of its tin tellingity challenged. chaos, crisis, bloodbath and from rupert murdoch's "the sun" bye-bye chump. even the bbc itself has been forced to report on its own failings. reporters grilling their director general. >> people will have to answer for what they did, and if they got something wrong, that jobs will be at risk. >> reporter: finally he resigned. >> but the honorable thing to do is to step down. >> the whole thing has been thoroughly traumatic. it really is one of the most serious crises the bbc has ever faced. >> reporter: it started with jimmy shavelle, the wild eyed, wild-haired bbc star now deceased who police believe may be one of britain's worst sex

offenders ever with possibly hundreds of victims over four decades. they say some abuse may have happened on bbc property. bbc was working on an investigative report on this but dropped it sparking allegations against the bbc of a cover-up. their competition ran a piece about savile and then they ran another story of a margaret thatcher era politician. the bbc didn't run that and then later realized it was the wrong man. >> tonight this program apologizes, a key allegation in a report about child abuse was wrong. >> reporter: now there's an internal investigation and current and past employees are being questioned over child abuse allegations. the former producer was arrested over the weekend, and the fact that bbc's prior director mark thompson takes over today as chief of the "new york times" has led to questions there. what did he no and when did he know it calling him appearing willfully ignorant. >> he first of all said he knew

nothing about jimmy savile or any of it and later was told by bbc journalists and add mitt that had and it might be about child abuse and add mitt that had and further that than then he went and questioned senior bbc management to try to find out what had gone on. >> reporter: thompson has declined our request for an interview but maintained he did not know the details of what the savile investigation was about and probably should have asked more questions. now, all of that and more under deep scrutiny. the head of the bbc's governing trust said it might be time for a radical overall. britain grew up on the bbc. it's the state broadcaster, also the largest broadcaster here. its level of respect has been impeccable, but now shaken deeply. matt? >> michelle kosinski in london on a disturbing story. michelle, thank you cech. savannah? >> thanks. superstorm sandy destroyed homes and devastated communities here in the northeast, but there's a growing movement of people preparing for something even bigger. nbc's janet shamlian introduces

us to the doomsday preppers. >> let's have a family meeting. >> reporter: as a father of six braxton southwick wants to make sure his family is safe at his home near salt lake city and takes his safety very seriously. for nearly a decade the family has been preparing for a biological terror attack. >> boys, i want you to get your guns. >> reporter: they have regular drills to make sure they know exactly what to do if disaster strikes. >> i want it fast. you guys ready? >> yes. >> let's do it. >> grab the charcoal. >> reporter: inside the southwick home more than a dozen guns, chemical suit, masks, hundreds of gals of water, gas and diesel fuel and enough food and supplies to last a year. >> this is doomsday preppers. >> reporter: southwicks are part of a new season of "doomsday preppers" on the national geographic channel. >> a lot of people think if you're a prepper you're crazy, and it's just not true. there's so many families like

us. >> just like going up an attic except going down, it's in reverse. >> reporter: so many families. ron hubbard is able to make a living selling underground disaster cellars also known as doomsday punkers. there's a lot of secrecy in the punker business. i can't even tell you where this one is except to say it's somewhere deep in the heart of texas. >> the shelt worry add about $500 to the cost of a new home. >> reporter: a blast from the past when films like this encouraged americans to prepare for the worst. they are a lot pricier now, running anywhere from $10,000 to more than a million. this one is about the size of an 18-wheeler, has its own air filtration system and runs on batteries or a generator with enough power to last at least a week. some features aren't exactly necessity. >> got a 46-inch big-screen tv, a leather couch that reclines so can i lay back and watch my football when i have my satellite dish on, got my refrigerator, microwave. >> reporter: hubbard says

business is booming with customers who want to be protected. >> we'll definitely be better prepared to execute our game plan and be able to get through whatever gets thrown at us. >> reporter: years of planning, insurance against the unknown. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. >> and "doomsday preppers" premiers tomorrow night on the national geographic channel. now let's get a check of the weather with al. >> and good morning, everybody. i've got to tell you, bigger than the weather. it's this line for one direction. it stretches all the way down to sixth avenue which is a good way. turns on to sixth avenue and then heads up 52nd street. i mean, that's unbelievable. we are talking about huge lines, people have been lining up. >> i love you harry. >> she loves harry. really pretty amazing. this line stretches all this way.

people have been coming here since friday. these young ladies what. time did you get here? >> 7:00 a.m. friday. >> 7:00 a.m. friday. >> what have you been doing since then? >> we've been chatting. talking about one direction. >> made this poster. >> where are you guys from? >> new york. >> from new york and new jersey. >> wow. >> what was the weather. what are you doing for like food and sleep? >> we have a cooler full of water and just going back and getting it when we need it. >> what are you doing about staying clean? >> we take shifts to go shower. >> okay. >> because you guys smell great. >> it's fantastic. >> you took showers last night. >> thank you for that. everybody in the line thanks you for that. let's check the weather. one direction coming in tomorrow. let's show you what we've got. this front is making a big deal. you guys have been lucky so far. temperatures are up in the 60s today in the northeast, but behind the front temperatures are anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees below where they should be for this time of year, and tomorrow it's going to be much chillier here into the low 50s. at night it's going to get down

into the upper 30s and low 40s. you guys praeepared? >> good morning. the clouds will be thickening up today. rain will come in tonight. >> don't forget if you're coming down, bring a sign like these young ladies. if you get picked, you get tickets to a one direction concert. pretty cool stuff. it even plays music. my gosh. savannah. >> yes. >> all right, al. thanks. coming up next, dr. oz on how to stay focused and fit through the holiday season, and more on the resignation of cia director

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7:43. this morning on "today's health," making the most of the holiday season. ready or not, starts in ten days with thanksgiving. dr. mehmet oz says it quarterback an important time of year to focus on your health. >> good morning. >> a lot like using the clocks

to change your batteries in your clocks and smoke detectors. families getting together and now it's time to take stock of your health. >> it will help their health and your health. the holidays fundamentally are about love. what a better way than to getting a little bit of a story. >> get some information from your loved ones. got your family together. you think memory is something that can be very illuminating in terms of a person's overall health. >> the memory is something we don't notice when it starts to fail. i'll give you a little quiz. a quiz i want everyone to do at home when they sit down for their thanksgiving meal. stuffing, tree, snow. three words. i'm not going to say it again. can't write them down. in a few minutes when we're done the segment, we'll quiz you. at home everybody does the same thing. five minutes, go back to see if they remember the three words. >> again. if they don't remember the three words it's not the end of the world but it might send up a red flag. >> should warn that you there's some kind of memory going on.

at the end of the spectrum there ease alzheimer's. don't panic, enjoy the holidays. do one big thing make an important for your loved one if you sense there's a problem. >> eyesight, something else can you test very easily, very important. do it at the holiday, how do we go about it, and why is it so important? >> get a quarter inch tonight? pick an average paper, not the headline but the smaller sizes usually about a quarter inch. see that there. ask them from a ten foot distance. measure out ten feet, can they read that to you? if they can read that tow it indicates their eyesight is pretty reasonable. if they can't they are starting to lose their vision or could be things like glaucoma. when they can't see right they get disengaged from society. >> get the less than desired result, take simple results? >> an appointment with an ophthalmologist or ontition. >> get someone to walk up the

stairs. >> my dad's test, use this all the time in my practice. ask people to walk up two flights of stairs. if you can not walk up two flights of stands without getting really winded, that's a big warning sign. another big test, a quarter mile test, big data on it. >> and if you're exhausted after that it can tell you even that. >> if you can't watch a quarter mile in five minutes, chance of being dead is 35% chances higher. >> families being together is an important time to gather family medical history because that information can be incredibly valuable. >> check each other out, gossip about family members. make sure they are blood relatives and make sure that you're looking for problems that occurred before age 65. those are the two big tests for family history. remember, it's the best way not to assess your genes but how your genes protect you in the environment. >> ways to survive the holiday season. fight for sleep and stay one-handed. >> have one hand free to shake

hands so get to drink with the other hand or eat with the other but no two-fisted eating or drinking. >> the quiz? >> want to pay off the quiz. >> what are the three words? >> i remember the three words. >> what are they? >> stuffing, tree and snow. i was also about to cheat and scribble them down. i didn't. i'm very proud of myself. what's your name again? >> dr. mehmet oz. thank you very much. happy holidays. >> happy holidays. just ahead what, justin bieber is saying about the reported split with longtime girlfriend selena gomez and fear the dragon baby. we'll meet the father and son behind the wildly popular online video right after this. into their work,

their name on the door, and their heart into their community. small business saturday is a day to show our support. a day to shop at stores owned by our friends and neighbors. and do our part for the businesses that do so much for us. on november 24th, let's get out and shop small.

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has nearly 20 million hits and counting on youtube. patrick is here now with his son, the star of the video. romeo elvis. he's mesmerized. >> good morning, guys. how are you? >> good morning to both of you. >> we're good. >> are you a filmmaker by trade. >> yeah. >> how does this idea come to you? >> well, it's an easy idea. it's the kind of idea that i think everybody can have and probably the last one that did have the idea so i can do it and that's why i came up with this. >> you can do it because you know special effects, let's be honest. just about everything in here other than maybe that shot of him sitting there was done through special effects. how hard was that? >> it's a pretty long process. in fact, the way i did it is that i started by designing costumes. small ones and large ones, and then i shot two stunt men fighting doing the kung fu moves and shot my kid like right now,

and i took the shoulders and the head and slide it over the guy. >> lots of editing. >> you needed romeo's position so he could be in the right position. >> endless. >> how long does something like this take? >> would i say two months, yeah, because i didn't have a big team. i did pretty much by myself. a good friend of mine did the costumes, and -- >> uh-oh. >> you know -- >> now you did one with your daughter and went viral as well, marguerite, 16 million hits. this one has over 20 million hits. does that surprise you? >> i'm not suspecting 20 million in a week. i knew that this viral video that we did two years ago, i did it with a good friend of mine. when we were working on it, we knew that it would go viral because "iron man" was a big thing. >> can i borrow you to make a

couple of videos of my kids? great to meet you. happy holidays. >> and we are back after your local news, and we will officially welcome willie geist to our family. let's get to know him a little bit better, too, and get a check of the weather. prices on appliances at the home depot. we can upgrade to sleeker... larger and more energy-efficient at black friday prices... today. uh-oh. looks like the secret's out. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, get this maytag 4-door refrigerator for just $1698. save $800.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> be prepared for reduced visibility around de area. charles at center street and fayette street, that is due to the veterans day parade. 15 minutes to get you through the outer loop north east side. 14 minutes from 795 down to 95. so far so good on the j.f.x.

southbound. fog roads. -- fog can be an issue on in the area roads. outer loop traffic is backed up just a bit there. outer loop but harford, you can see that back up. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> other than the fog, we are off to a pretty quiet start. as we go into the afternoon, we get a least a little bit of sunshine. 48 in parkton, 44 degrees and a rising sun. we will make it into the mid- 60's this afternoon. it will not be quite as nice as yesterday. increasing clouds as we go through the day. transfer rain coming in after dark. -- chance for rain coming in after dark. seven-day forecast coming through the rest of the week.

increasing clouds today, but a good chance for rain tonight and tomorrow morning. sunshine breaking through the cloud back tomorrow afternoon. high temperatures in the upper 40's and 50's. on

we're back now at 8:00 on a monday morning. it's the 12th day of november, 2012. and that sign says it all. the countdown to our one direction concert is now about 24 and a half hours. the group will be here tomorrow to put on a show. that is very good news for the people who have been waiting in line, some for the whole weekend. >> that's right. >> because going without food, water and rest for 36 to 48 hours is not good. >> there's the line that is gathered. we expect thousands of people on the plaza tomorrow morning. if you are in the area and you're planning to come down, we

suggest you get here very early. >> yesterday. >> as you can see, you're already late. >> in fact, if you can get a time machine. >> i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie and mr. al roker. >> speaking of big events around here, today marks the official start for willie geist here at "today" show. we're going to do the traditional thing, embarrass him with old footage from earlier in his career and maybe a few other surprises in store as well as we welcome willie. >> and then this picture of a 3-month-old baby who has just undergone open heart surgery, look at the face, really captured a lot of attention of people online. that little fellow will be here along with his parents in just a little while. we'll find out how he is doing. >> he was fussing a little while ago, so i guess they decided to break down and give him a bottle. >> and we've got a couple of big names joining us coming up. in the next half hour oscar winner robert de niro will be here, and susan boyle will be also here as well to perform a song from her new album. >> look forward to it.

a check of the day's top stories with natalie morales at her post at the news desk. natalie, good morning to you. >> good morning, savannah, matt and al. good morning, everyone. new details are emerge begun what led to friday's surprise resignation of cia director david petraeus. admitted to having an extramarital affair with his biographer paula broadwell. the fbi discovered evidence of the affair while discovering harassing e-mails sent to another woman, a petraeus family friend jill kelly. those e-mails were traced to broadwell. key members of congress are asking why they and the president were not informed of the petraeus affair until just after the election last week. deadly devastation in an indianapolis neighborhood has forced some 200 residents from their homes as officials investigate what caused a sudden explosion and fire killing two people. the massive blast came without warning late saturday night, and the area is off limits until police know what caused it. let's head to wall street and cnbc's courtney reagan at the

new york stock exchange. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. greek lawmakers have approved the country's 2013 austerity budget, a major step forward in trying to secure a loan to keep greece from going bankrupt. the move will likely comfort u.s. markets, bringing europe back into focus on a day when the bond market is closed, and there is no major economic data in observance of veterans day. meantime, our own fiscal worries remain in focus for investors and the broader economy. many business leaders urging congress to work together to resolve that fiscal cliff before it's too late. natalie? >> courtney reagan at the new york stock exchange, thank you. and now for a look at what's trending today. our quick roundup of what has you talking online. judy garland's blue and white dorothy dress from "the wizard of oz" featured recently here on "today" fetched an over the rainbow bid at a hollywood memorabilia auction this weekend. it sold to an anonymous buyer for about $480,000.

the reported breakup of justin bieber and selena gomez dominated the internet. during an appearance on the radio show "open house party" justin was asked if he had a comment on the relationship. >> i don't know what to say. i don't know really what's really even going on in my life. so it doesn't make sense because i've not made any comment. >> and at a concert in boston, the beibs seemed to let his work do the talking with a performance of justin timberlake's anthem "cry me a river." ♪ cry me a river cry me a river ♪ ♪ cry me a river >> justin bieber and selena gomez started dating nearly two years ago. the sloppy swiss dance

featured on "saturday night live" may be just the craze for those of us too lazy to rock the "gangnam style" dance. >> take a look. ♪ his legend is a man ♪ where he is and where he comes from is hard to understand ♪ ♪ he's a creature like no other ♪ ♪ he crosses the island doing just one thing ♪ ♪ ♪ he does not respect personal space ♪ ♪ he's carrying diseases >> the sloppy swish and company are already burning up online. as the video said, it's literally contagious. one perhaps we all can do. it's 8:05 and now back outside to al with a check of the weather. >> all right. let's see what we've got for you. got some nice friends hanging out here. want to say hi to grandma and

grandpa. >> hi, grammy and grabbed a. >> all right. very nice. nothing better than that. let's see what we have for you. pick city of the day. oakland, california. nbc 11. sunny. 64 degrees. nice day there today. as we check our u.s. satellite radar, there's a front stretching from the great lakes all the way down to the gulf coast bringing showers, a big change in temperatures. even a little snow in the upper elevations. look for a lot of wet weather also in the pacific northwest with some mountain snows there. can you see sunshine behind the system. 25 in fargo. look for rain along the east coast later today into tomorrow. ahead of that system though, warmer conditions, snow back >> good morning.ades o temperatures will be way above average on this monday. rain will come in tonight.

>> that's your latest weather. i wonder who went to ohio university. ♪ stand up and cheer ♪ stand up and cheer for -- never mind. coming up next, who is paula broadwell? more on the woman at the center of the scandal involving general david petraeus. plus, the 3-month-old baby post-surgery photo that is touching hearts all around the world right after these messages. [ male announcer ] there's chicken

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jaaack? jaaack?! jack?! looks good ladies! jack! come on, stop the car. jack! no, no, no, no, no! the only thing more surprising than finding the perfect gifts.. niice. ...is where you find them. how did you know? i had a little help. this is how to gift. this is sears. back now at 8:11 with more on the surprise resignation of cia director david petraeus after admitting to an extramarital affair. nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker has more. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. paula broadwell is a married mother of two who lives in north carolina with her family. according to her book she first met general david petraeus in 2006 when he spoke to her

graduate class at harvard. soon thereafter, she was with him on the battlefield writing his biography. petraeus' aides say they never imagined that later something more would develop. paula broadwell has never hesitated to talk about the connection she felt to general david petraeus right off the bat. >> i was fascinated with this individual. >> reporter: just a few weeks ago she described one of her first interactions with him at an alumni gathering at the university of denver. >> i started to write this dissertation and had unprecedented access in part because i was a west pointer and he was a west pointer but also because we were both runners. our first interview in person was on a run. >> reporter: broadwell soon turned her dissertation into a biography about petraeus entitled "all in" which came out earlier this year. on msnbc's "morning joe" she said his role as director of the cia was the perfect fit. >> and i have sources who have confirmed he absolutely loves the agency, and i think it's a great place for him, and i try

to show this the book how well prepared he was for that. >> reporter: broadwell has had a distinguished career. a research associate at harvard university's center for public leadership. she has prestigious degrees from the united states military academy at west point and harvard's kennedy school of government, and she has more than a decade of military service. >> my initial impression that was she was a very confident, sharp woman. >> reporter: peter mansour first encountered broadwell in 2009 when he was general petraeus' executive officer in iraq. he says broadwell, who described herself as a soccer mom, was not shy about her ambitions. >> maybe a little bit calculating, certainly very aggressive, and -- and very ambitious. she used her contacts with general petraeus and her writings about him to gain entre into washington, into the washington media circles. >> reporter: circles like the aspen institute where broadwell talked about her unprecedented

access. >> i was embedded with general petraeus in afghanistan. >> reporter: petraeus' friends and former aides say the extramarital relationship began once he became director of the cia and lasted less than a year. >> he would be the last person in the world that i would suspect would engage in this sort of activity. >> reporter: since this story broke, broadwell has kept a low profile but continues to be at the center of a very public firestorm. now broad well was scheduled to celebrate her 40th birthday this past saturday, but on friday those who were invited say they got an e-mail from her husband saying the event had been cancelled. we've reached out to broadwell and to general petraeus but have not heard back. savannah? kristen welker in was, thanks. >> now to a photo touching people all over the world. 3-month-old joey smiling broadly after undergoing open heart surgery. more than a million likes on

facebook. dr. joey is here along with his parents and dr. nancy snyderman. nice to see all of you. how is he doing after surgery? >> doing really well. >> you found out about this heart condition he had while were you pregnant which had to make for some nerve-racking months. >> yes. >> what exactly is the condition? >> it's called tetrology of flow. >> and what's actly is the defect he has in his heart? >> a combination of four defects, but the most common is a hole in his heart, and his pulmonary artery pumping blood to his lungs was too narrow. >> and he -- you knew he was going to have to have surgery. weren't exactly sure when. why was it decided he would have it at this stage? >> he was actually doing pretty well when he was born, and so usually if babies are doing okay when they are born, they like to wait until about 3 months when they are the right weight and everything. >> i want to get to this photo in a second. how common is this? >> 40 births in a million, not common but in the pediatric

world really well-known and the importance of correcting those defects without the heart surgery, life span is about 20, but with heart surgery and doing well, life expectancy, a normal life. he's going to be just like everybody else. >> folks, you guys took this picture of joey five days after surgery, and it shows him there with a great smile on his face, but that enormous incision in his chest. you put it on your facebook page. it was going to be private for friends and family. how did it get online? >> my brother thought that it was really cool looking, i guess, and he said oh, can i post it to this website that i go on and i said okay, sure, and it just took off. >> people have really reacted. there's something in his eyes. there's something in his face. and you can tell even at this age of almost 4 months this, kid's got game. there's no question about it. dad, you must be so proud. >> very proud. he's recovering well. >> you know what's cool, that scar is very long in proportion of his body but because the

surgery was done so early in his life and his cells will divide so quickly that scar won't look like much when he's a young hunk. >> can we take a real close-up of his face live and, mom, tell me what you think the expression is right now. >> i think he has to go to the bathroom. >> or maybe in the process. >> okay. it's great to see you. >> continued good luck to joey. i've seen that face before. >> up next, what you don't know about willie geist as we officially welcome him to the "today" show family. that's right after this. only six degrees separate the body temperature

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some people put everything intotheir name on the door, and their heart into their community. small business saturday is a day to show our support. a day to shop at stores owned by our friends and neighbors. and do our part for the businesses that do so much for us. on november 24th, let's get out and shop small.

[ man ] tell me about that. [ phil ] katie and i talked about really committing to making a difference in the amount of gas that we use. she was using 8 to 10 tankfuls. i was using 5 tankfuls. now i use one tankful a month, and she may use about two. it drives like a sports car. it handles very well. people are a little surprised that a hybrid zipped by them the way that i do. [ male announcer ] see phil's story and more at the camry effect. camry from toyota. as we have mentioned we're so delighted to welcome willie geist to our family on his first official day as the co-host of our third hour. >> that's right. before he gets started let's get to know him just a little bit better. >> oh, boy. >> willie was a little kid, he

wanted to be a fireman. i don't think he ever thought tv was his thing. i think he wanted to play shortstop for the yankees or possibly a power forward for the knicks. >> we met in sixth grade, mr. kaplan's home room, september 1986, and i locked in immediately. that was 26 years ago. was it love at first sight for you? >> i don't know. i mean, you're 11. how do you know? >> it was for me. >> you were memorable at first sight, but i can't say love at first sight. >> just because i was tall and gawky. >> this isn't the movies. >> he was a suburban kid who wanted to be a hip-hop guy. we lived in ridgewood, new jersey, and he called it the wood. >> playing off "boys in the hood" we were the boys in the wood. say something like quiet on the set because i'm about to begin and if you didn't hear me again. i'll tell you again. my name is easy. trying to gain fame off the name

that i'm making. i like lady gaga. not afraid to say t. i have two kids. >> big daddy is kind of like a super hero figure. i mean, he's 6'4" so compared to the average child he really is literally super hero size. >> a gentle giant, if you will. >> got a short fuse. >> not true. >> you are a disgrace. >> heard about a little anger management problem. >> get in the pool with the alligator, kid. >> certainly not appropriate for this forum. >> sometimes small electric devices end up just sort of like mysteriously shattered. >> angry about the remote control. >> are you way off our talking points right now. >> behind the cameras working on christmas and thanksgiving and all that. i mean, he really paid his dues. >> i did follow in my dad's footsteps. >> taught me by example that writing was the most important thing and if you can write you can do anything. >> willie geist. >> tucker carlson demanded i be on his show.

>> what are you supposed to be? >> same thing i am tucker, a hard-hitting journalist who asks the tough questions. >> would take my head set and run out of the control room and stand and talk with him in the commercial breaks. that's the first time i was on tv. >> willie geist, good to see you, man. >> and joe scarborough, when he created "morning joe" thought between him and mika that i would be a good third person. >> who do you go to? tv's willie geist. >> alarm goes off at 3:30, try to be out the door by 4:00, off to the set and get miked up and on the air at 5:29. >> "way too early," not meant to be a show title but a statement of fact. >> anyone who says being on the "today" show for the first time isn't a bit of a pitch-me moment is probably lying. >> natalie is shaking. >> oh. >> good morning, savannah, and -- and willie, sorry.

good morning, everyone. >> now back over to savannah. willie and al. >> how would i describe willie geist? i mean, charming. >> witty. >> wickedly smart. >> debonair. >> model parents. >> philanthropist. >> incredibly fit and buff. >> what? >> come on. >> really? >> come on. >> there's no doubt about it. when you first hear that music, that's a pretty heavy moment. >> this is "today." >> willie geist is officially joining the "today" show family as the co-host of our third hour. a talented guy but also i think what we've all come to know over the last couple of years here as an awfully nice guy and thrilled to have you with us. >> couldn't get an umbrella on the first day of the job. >> it's a place where we'll have a lot of fun. i think the three of us -- >> what's that smell? >> al, why do you look at me when you say that? >> we're going to have a good time. >> why are you sweating? >> it's nice to see people fall in love with the person that

you've loved for your whole l e life. >> wow. wow, very nice. >> we're excited to have willie for a lot of reasons. >> willie, we love for you. can't wait for you to get started. and he joins us in the studio. willie geist. good to have you here. >> welcome. >> and let me just say in keeping with the theme of the show so far if you take a nice tight shot of willie's face he is also pooing right now at this moment. >> going back to a segment we just had, a little child. >> i missed that part of the segment. >> robert de niro is -- >> i have to say your producers are beyond corruption because there's several photographs and moments that i offered cash payments to keep out of that feed and they ended up in there. >> we'll use them over and over. >> and the anger problem my wife describes, it's just her emot n

emotions. >> more after your local news. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell. >> starting in fallston, accident and the fallston road. maybe lane closures in that area. lombard street, getting word of an accident. we have unconfirmed reports of a water main break. i will be posting updates on twitter and facebook on at that. avoided the area. we will let you know if we get more information. and charles and center and

fayette, a veterans day parade. charles between north and 21st, water main break is being repaired. live look at traffic. very foggy out there. you can see a bit of an outer loop delay towards reisterstown road. at harford, things are easing up. 95 out of the north east is still moving pretty well out of the white marsh area. tony, over to you. >> fog should be burning off in the next couple of hours. 46 at the airport, 50 in cockeysville. we're watching rain on of the ohio valley. quick, after showers -- quick batch of showers. you'll see the clouds the camp of ahead of that stuff. it will be mild with high

temperatures in the mid-60's. breezy and cooler with high temperatures in the low 50s. >> another update at 8:56.

8:30 now on this monday morning. it's the 12th of november, 2012. a beautiful day right here on rockefeller plaza. we have some great girls, boys, men, women all here to say hello. we want to remind everybody that there's one day until what i call one d-day.

new direction. people lining up. >> across 52nd street. >> how many calls have you gotten for tickets? >> a lot. >> and it's -- >> and cds, and can you get this autographed. on and on. i'll try. anyway, good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer, al roker and natalie morales. >> take this shot inside our studio right now. the one and only robert de niro. not him in our studio. that's him in our studio. gay's got a couple of academy awards. starring in a new movie called "silver linings playbook." it's getting a lot of great comments, and he's going to be here to talk about that in just a couple of minutes. always an honor to have him here. >> all right. and then do you want your politicians telling what you to eat, what not to eat? a city council in california

pa passed a resolution for no meat on monday. is that a good idea? >> what. >> we'll get into that. >> i want to stop this in its track. >> a recommendation. >> reporter: >> not a requirement. >> and we've got singing sensation susan boyle in our studio. she's got a new album coming out, "standing ovation." she's going to do a number for us. >> first we want to say hello to a very talented young woman, whitney cummings, star, writer, executive producer of "whitney" right here on nbc. good morning to you. >> hi, good morning. >> and season two is about to begin. we've got to catch up on where we were. last season your character absolutely was not going to get married. >> was totally against it. >> then we see her walking down the aisle. by the end of the season we decided to get married and in our own traditional way. decided to get tattoos. season two starts out with us having hepatitis from the tattoos. just kidding. we're in, we're married and sort of all of the things that happen

when you're in a relationship but kind of going the provocative way, all the taboo things that sometimes happen when you're in a relationship. >> you were surprised you were about getting past nbc standards. >> i don't think nbc reads any of our scripts. >> you think nbc had standards. >> guess not because we're managing to slide by. really provocative and fun stuff. >> you're a busy young lady. not only are you star of this show but you're also producer of "two broke girls." i've been looking for robert de niro. >> he's in the studio. >> and jane kaczmarek is joining you. >> she plays my mom. ev it airs wednesday night. >> you also have your own talk show on e.

>> i am a hoarder. >> took a second or two, but then bang. >> hoarder. yes, i'm going to be doing a talk show on e that chelsea handler is producing. i think she will be here this morning. i don't know if i should be a host on this show. i'm pretty good at this. >> good luck. >> wednesday night 8:00 right here on nbc. >> thank you so much, matt. >> whitney, good to see you. >> thanks, guys. >> al, a check of your weather. >> week ahead. starting off above normal in the east. the dividing line is that cold front but below normal temperatures. much of the country rain along the pacific northwest. by the time we get to the mid-week period chillier temperatures back in the east and then the heat returns out west, and the latter part of the week, things kind of normal out, temperatures southeast and continuing above normal temperatures and rain along the west coast.he >> good morning.

the clouds will be thickening up today. rain will come in tonight. >> don't forget check that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on cable or go to weather.com online. folks can't see the lovely little details in the back of your coat here. >> a little clip. >> that's because it was too big. thanks for outing me. >> just thought it was a deckration. >> no, just a clip. >> thank you, al. >> coming up next, a legend in our studio. robert de niro. but first this is "today" on nbc.

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we are comeback now at 8:37 with two-time oscar winner robert de niro. he's covered everything from drammor, to comedy in his career. now he's combining the two in his latest movie called "silver linings playbook" starring opposite bradley cooper. de niro plays a father whose adult son moves home after spending time at a mental health facility. >> what are you so up about? >> no, i'm happy. >> you're so up, up, up. >> isn't that a good thing. >> you're up, up, up. i don't know what that is. are you taking the proper dosage of your medication? >> am i taking the right dose? of course, i am. >> okay. taking a little bit too many or something? >> no. if i was taking, that i'd be on the floor, dad. >> robert de niro, good morning. welcome back. >> thank you. >> the "d" in dna for this family stands for dysfunctional. this is an odd collection of characters. tell me about these guys. >> well, the son is-bradley ice character was in an institution. i guess you would call it a mental facility, whatever, and

he's bipolar, and so he comes home, but his mother brings him home earlier and the drama ensues, if you will. >> your character as the parrot crashing of this family is not all that -- it seems like he is straddling the line of sanity and insanity himself. you start to realize where the son gets the behavior. your guy has a lot of ocd behaviors. he is superstitious to a fault. do you play him as a guy who is a good guy or a little bit of a villain? >> well, no, he's not a villain. he certainly doesn't think of himself as a villain. he's dealing with life and everyday problems. his son has got the issues that he has to deal with, and he's got to make a living. >> but it requires you to kind of go in the funny direction sometimes, and in the very serious direction it seems in the next scene.

>> yeah. that's -- that kind of material i always like because that's what life all about, the irony, the humor is next to the tragedy, the drama, whatever. and that's what this has, especially with david. russell, the way he directs, it's got a lot of energy. immediacy that i'm glad that people like it because it was fun doing, and an experience. >> the "new york times" writes about it this way in. spots de niro's performance channels his comedic chops from "analyze this" and others. it can be "good fellas" style serious. i think are times in this audience is not sure which direction they want to go in. it keeps them a little off guard. >> well, exactly, as it should. i mean, that's the most fun, too, where things are -- you're not sure what's going to happen, as in life, especially with a family like this, a lot going on. a lot of families like this have things going on so it's, you know -- >> you star opposite bradley cooper. not the first time you've worked

with him. you worked with him in "limitless." when you a see a guy like this who is one of the it actors in hollywood right now. is it impossible not to think back to your early days in this business? >> oh, yeah, sure. bradley is very serious about what he's doing. and we've become friends. he's terrific, and it's fun to work with him, and we'll probably do other things together hopefully, and, yeah, sure, i see that. >> are you the kind of guy who gives advice? would you ever sit down with him in a casual conversation and talk to him about smart choices? >> absolutely, yeah, yeah. i like to give advice to younger actors or anybody who wants it. i mean, i -- it's funny. i'd love to give advice to my children. they are at an age when they don't usually want to listen, my younger ones but other people like bradley listens, and i -- when i was his age, i would talk to people older than me who were in my profession, who were in my

profession and say what can i look out for? what can i see? what are the things that are i can avoid or this or that so i enjoy giving advice, when asked. >> he, of course, is famous also for starring in "the hangover" movies, and you're shooting a movie called "last vegas" which the way it's been described to me is a bunch of older guys doing the "hangover" type genre, is that fair? >> that's i guess what it is. >> is it as inappropriate at "the hangover" movies? >> i'm not sure. it's different. it's a little more, i guess, tame in a sense. >> the cast includes michael douglas. >> yes. >> morgan freeman, kevin kleine. >> yes. >> and mary steinbergen. >> having a good time. >> you have shot or are shooting in las vegas and now in atlanta. i may get down there. spend a little time together. >> sure. >> vegas would have been good. i'll take that today.

>> thanks. >> "silver linings playbook" is opening in select theaters on friday, and in theaters nationwide on november 21st. coming up, meatless monday, coming up the new push to get you to go vegetarian once aia before cold & flu season, help prevent with lysol disinfectant spray. and use the lysol no touch hand soap for 10 times more protection with each wash. this season, a good offense is the best defense. lysol.

mission for health.

back now at 8:45 with the food trend that's gaining some momentum. meatless mondays. a los angeles city council just adopted a resolution asking residents to go vegetarian on a voluntary basis on monday. "today's" nutritionist joy bauer is here with more. good morning. >> i love this campaign, it's creative and delicious. savannah, it has so much beneficial perks. >> it's been around a while but it's really catching on as we mentioned. l.a. has a resolution. >> right. >> doesn't require people not to eat meat, but basically recommends it. >> like a symbolic gesture, so to speak. if they have a burger they won't get thrown in jail or arrested.

>> we're not there yet. >> but we hope they are going to follow. >> as a health issue, can it really help to reduce your meat intake on one day? >> yes, it definitely. can we have some studies that show if you regularly do eat meat, red meat and particularly processed or fatty red meat, you are at an increased risk for serious health conditions. things like diabetes and heart disease, stroke, so it -- it's really worth your while to reduce your intake, and on the flip side we have a large body of evidence that shows when you embrace these plant-based meals, things like beans and lentils and whole foods, soy, you can reduce all those very same health issues. drive down your cholesterol and blood pressure so it's all good. >> you've got great ideas which i want to talk about in a minute. the american meat institute issued a statement, this is part of it. quote, if the sponsors of the meatless mondays campaign were truly concerned about nutrition, they'd host more veggie monday, but instead they target for reduction of a food that is

already consumed in the proper amount, and that is simply irresponsible. so i guess the point is we don't eat too much meat. >> but it's still a great thing to eat more vegetables and reduce our consumption of meat, and i'm not anti-meat. i respect and understand that people love their burgers and their steaks. we're not taking it away. we're just saying take this manageable small step, just give it up. again, talking about beef, pork and chicken on mondays. that's it. >> let's get practical about it because you have some ideas. let's say you sign on. i'm not going to eat meat on mondays. what am i going to eat especially if you've got kids? >> a few must haves. buy different colored lentils in the bag and also canned beans and if you can't buy the low sodium, just buy the regular and rinse it in a colander and you'll reduce about 40% of the salt. also soups. the heartier soups, lentils, black bean, split pea, meals and filled with protein and all of the great nuts and seeds.

sunflower seeds don't get enough love. >> we love you, sunflower seeds, thank you. >> they will be in the green room starting tomorrow, and also, of course, all the nut butters and take advantage of things like veggie burgers and quinoa. most mispronounced grain. >> such a fashionable grain these days. >> it's not just about your health. these vegetarian proteins, they are less expensive, so everybody is watching their budget. one pound of beans is $1.40. you have to pay twice as much money to get one pound of chicken breasts, four times as much to get a pound steak so you'll also help the pocketbook. >> if you wanted to splurge try a port bela mushroom that gives you the meaty feel without being meat. >> no hard rules. don't go vegan. nix the meat on monday, have fish, eggs, party. >> going crazy. >> food for thought.

>> and it's monday so that means tonight. >> if you haven't already had bacon for breakfast. >> still start right now. >> all right. >> and i say 30 rock signs up. next monday, green room, getting rid of the meats, the platters that we have and instead you'll see tofu stir fries. >> you didn't know in a? >> no. >> note to self. coming up, a live performance from susan boyle, but first this is "today" on nbc.

the world first fell in love with susan boyle back in 2009 when her audition on "britain's got talent" exploded online. to date that tape has racked up more than 100 million hits on youtube, and susan has gone on to sell more than 18 million albums all around the world. her newest is called "standing ovation." susan boyle, welcome back, good morning. nice to see you. how you doing. >> nice to see you, too. >> real well, thank you. >> for youout album in just about four years. that is an exhausting workload. how are you holding up? >> really good. >> doesn't seem overwhelming at times? >> at times it is a bit overwhelming, but the same with any job really. >> do you go in because of the success of the first three

albums, do you go in with an enormous amount of confidence? >> well, sometimes i think it's very difficult. each album expresses a different approach. >> this one is all about musical theater? >> that's right. >> and you do two duets with donny osmond, right? >> right. >> and i remember the first time you met him, one of the people you idolized as an entertainer, what was it like recording with him? >> well, it feels so surreal. >> so had you a chance to record with donny osmond and had a chance to perform for the queen on the occasion of her diamond jubilee. which one was better? be careful. >> have to be very careful, yes. i think they both were really cool. >> both. you're a diplomat, too, which is great. what are you going to sing for us this morning? >> "winner takes it all." >> ladies and gentlemen. susan boyle.

♪ i don't wanna talk about things we've gone through ♪ ♪ though it's hurting me now it's history ♪ ♪ i've played all my cards and that's what you've done, too ♪ ♪ nothing more to say no more ace to play ♪ ♪ the winner takes it all ♪ the loser's standing small ♪ beside the victory that's a destiny ♪ ♪ tell me does she kiss like i used to kiss you ♪ does it feel the same when she

calls your name ♪ ♪ somewhere deep inside you must know i miss you ♪ ♪ but what can i say rules must be obeyed ♪ ♪ the judges will decide the likes of me abide ♪ ♪ spectators of the show always stay in love ♪ ♪ the game is on again a lover or a friend ♪ ♪ a big thing or a small the winner takes it all ♪ ♪ i don't wanna talk if it makes you feel sad ♪ ♪ and i understand you've come

to shake my hand ♪ ♪ i apologize if it makes you feel bad ♪ ♪ seeing me so tense no self-confidence ♪ ♪ the winner takes it all ♪ the winner takes it all ♪ the winner takes it all ♪ the winner takes it all

>> thank you, susan. very beautiful, and the album is called "standing ovation" which seems to me is going to be a huge hit. susan, nice to see you. >> we're back right after these messages and your local news. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. two people are weighing charges following a fight outside a free-market. -- flea market. one man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening

injuries. two others were hurt but refused

>> it is going to be another mile dead. fog is going to burn off. chance for rain coming in early tonight with high temperatures in the mid-60's. breezy and cool tomorrow and rain in the morning on thursday. >> another weather